Looking Back
by Notyou21
Summary: Kronos has won the Titan War 2 and looks forward to a new golden age. But the Olympians are far from eager to let this happen while they are still alive and plan to make it so that the things which happened never actually took place. The past is now the future and the hopes rest on the shoulders of a young demigod named Percy Jackson. But will he be able to do it alone?
1. Resistance

**A/N: I've been thinking about this for a long time and I'm super excited to finally get it down on paper(screen? whatever). Consider all of my other stories on hold for the ****time being. It's so hard to update regularly but thank the gods for holidays. So this basically starts in an alternate reality/timeline where Kronos wins the war. Read on and tell me what you think of it.  
Edit: This chapter was reuploaded since I had to make a few changes.**

_Somewhere underneath Rome_

The dark underground palace had been Percy's constant hideout for the past two years. It was Hades', or rather, Pluto's idea. A place far away from Olympus and hidden away from the eyesight of almost all immortals. It was rather cramped, but at least this way, Kronos could not find them. Only 5 major gods had survived Kronos's attack - Poseidon, Hades, Artemis, Demeter and Hestia. They fled to Rome with Percy and a handful of other demigods, swearing to come back to revenge their home. But since then, Kronos had only become more powerful. He had assumed complete control of Olympus and all its affiliated Gods. Manhattan was a complete mess - mortals were killed regularly without any rhyme or reason. The remaining Olympians had been given a choice - swear loyalty to Kronos or be sentenced to an eternity in Tartarus. Only Dionysus and Ares had sided with the Titan lord.  
Zeus wasn't given a choice. He was cut into pieces and rumoured to have faded.

'What's the matter, Perseus?' Hestia sat down beside him with her back to the wall. A few torches burned above their heads, giving some much needed warmth and light to the place.

'I just…' Percy shook his head. The truth was - he was tired of waiting. Tired of hiding in the shadows while Kronos laid waste to his homeland. It was wearing him out mentally. The gods had constructed a comfortable place under the ground, but it just seemed like a gilded cage.

_Flashback (Throne room of the gods, The Last Olympian)_

_'Luke,' Annabeth pleaded, giving him her knife,' Family Luke, remember? You promised.'_

_Luke took the knife with tears brimming in his eyes. It was cruel, Kronos could only be vanquished if he killed himself. He had to make a choice._

_'A single choice shall end his days,_

_For Olympus to preserve or raze.'_

_He was the hero. He was the one prophesied to die, the son of Hermes realised. There was no stopping that, nothing which could prevent it from happening. His eyes suddenly flashed gold for a second, Kronos was struggling to break through. There was not much time left for him. He had to make a choice, now._

_He looked at Annabeth's pleading eyes, and all of a sudden it was crystal clear what he had to do. The Olympians deserved to suffer for what they did to their children. They must pay for their crimes. _

_With that thought in mind, he plunged the dagger straight into Annabeth's heart. She screamed, it was the most painful sound he had ever heard. But what hurt him the most was the look in her eyes as she died. He felt as if he was a monster. And that very moment of anguish in Luke's heart was just enough for Kronos to finally break through. A blinding light burst out from where Luke had been. The time had come. His host's body slowly crumbled into dust as Kronos regained his true form. Very soon, the world would feel his wrath._

_Luke had a slight smile on his face as he died. He could finally be together with Annabeth in the underworld, just as it was meant to be, and Olympus would finally get what it deserved. _

_End of flashback  
_Percy remembered being flung back through Olympus's walls as the gods entered the throne room and Kronos unleashed a burst of power. He couldn't get the image of Annabeth's blood soaked shirt out of his mind. She would be avenged, he mentally made an oath to himself. And now here he was, doing nothing.

'You can talk to me.' Insisted Hestia, breaking him from his thoughts.

'I'm… I can't take this anymore.'

Somehow, Hestia knew what he was talking about.  
'Don't lose hope.' She warned, 'Its the only thing that can't be taken away from you.'

'I wish I could.' Said Percy, 'But look at all we did. Nothing's working.'

Hestia simply put an arm around his shoulders. It worked better than any words she could have said.

* * *

On the other side of the room, Poseidon and Hades were arguing.

'We got all of them, but it still doesn't seem to work. I'm telling you, we can't trust her!' Said Hades.

'Maybe we just have to wait, if it- ' Poseidon tried to reason.

'We have been waiting!' Hades cut in, 'It's been _months_-'

'Boys!' Artemis shouted and both of them suddenly became silent. Artemis rarely lost her temper but right now she looked furious.

'If you think your arguing is going to help things right now, then you better shut the Hades up!'

Hades' eyebrow slightly twitched at the use of his name but he didn't object.

'I think we should just wait for Hecate.' Artemis continued. Hecate had joined their cause a few months ago and her help had proved to be indispensable. But it was hard to be sure if she was on their side.

'Right you are, Artemis.' Hecate suddenly appeared in the middle of the room. 'Pity you broke up the argument though, I was quite enjoying it. Especially what I heard about me.'

'How long have been here?' Asked Poseidon, warily.

'Long enough.' Was the cryptic reply. 'But enough of small talk. Look - I know you don't completely trust me and I don't blame you for it. But I have some bad news.'

'What?' Hades ventured to ask.

'I think you should call Percy over here. This concerns him.'

Percy came as soon as he was called.

'What's the matter?' Percy asked, looking searchingly at their faces, 'Did something happen?'

'Yes.' Said Hecate seriously, 'Our Plan won't work.'

'The response was that of utter disbelief. It was _The Plan _she was talking about. It was the reason all the gods hadn't rushed back to Olympus and challenged Kronos for the throne. They knew they would lose - so in the one night the gods had to make up their minds whether to join Kronos or not, they went to Athena for help. She was the one who laid the foundations of the plan. With Apollo's help, which ultimately cost him his very life and essence, the five gods were able to escape. The Plan was daring and foolish and utterly impractical, but it was the only way they could have even the slightest chance of defeating Kronos. They took a few demigods along with them, but Percy was the only one to last this long. The others had either lost hope or died in the initial months.

The Plan hinged on the fact that the only way for things to go back as they should be was to ensure something like this never happened in the first place. Crazy, right? But it wasn't completely impossible. All the minor time related gods had been brought together to try and send one person back in time to correct all the wrongs that had been done. There was the god of history, the god of past wars and several other minor time gods who were all almost completely crazy. Time as a domain was pretty hard to manage. There was even a god of clocks, who claimed to have been a mortal before he met a drunk Dionysus. Minor gods were little more than immortals with a few powers, something which was well within the ability of a powerful god to create. Athena's plan was to use their combined power to send someone back in time.

Till now they had only managed to send a small pebble about an hour back in time, with Hecate's intervention. She seemed to be pretty good with the time thing.

But now she was saying the Plan wouldn't work!

'What?!' Shot out Artemis.

Hecate turned to her.

'Time is a fickle thing, my goddess. It does not take kindly to being manipulated to the whims of another. After looking extensively for other ways, I have come to only one conclusion.'

She paused to take a breathe, and looked about her nervously. She knew what she was about to say would only make them distrust her even more. But she had to say it.

'We cannot manipulate time. Only Kronos can do it.'

The room burst into anger, shouting and disbelief. Mayhem reigned.

Shivers travelled down Hecate's back. She wasn't done yet. There was one more thing she had to say. It was the only thing which would stop their fury.

'I know how to get him to do it.'

Deafening silence followed. But now she had the gods full attention.

* * *

_Olympus(One day later)_

'My lord.' A demigod crept in front of Kronos, almost tripping over his own feet in the process. He visibly trembled.

'Did I not say I was not to be disturbed this morning!' Kronos rose up to his feet, scaring the several Nymphs and Dryads waiting on him beside his throne. He radiated anger.

The demigod stumbled a few steps and landed on his back. He hastily got back up to his feet and bowed deeply.

'Forgive me, lord. But… but there is someone to see you.'

'Then send them away! It cannot be important enough to disturb my morning rest!'

'She… she said she knew about the escaped Olympians.'

The demigod dared to look up from the ground but was blasted with burst of power from Kronos and instantly vaporised into thin air.

'That feels better.' Kronos muttered to himself.

'Open the gates!' He shouted to whichever unlucky demigod had been assigned to gate duty that day.

He waited for a while but didn't feel the gates opening. His anger suddenly came back. Who was that pesky demigod who dared to be asleep on guard duty?! A wisp of smoke coming up from the ground reminded him said demigod was currently indisposed.

His anger lessened a bit but didn't abate. Where were demigods when you needed them?

With a sigh of annoyance he willed the doors to open in front of him.

Somebody walked in slowly. It was Hecate.

'My lord.' Hecate came forward and bowed in front of him.

'Speak, minor goddess. But I warn you, it better be worth my time.'

A smirk came onto Hecate's face.

'I assure you, my lord, it is. I have done more than you asked. You will have nothing to complain about.'

Hecate confidently drew closer. Her midnight black hair swept in front of her shoulders as she leaned forward theatrically.

'_They_ are coming.' She said.

'The Olympians?' Kronos asked with a slightly impressed tone.

'That I am not at liberty to say.' Said Hecate, but her smile gave it all away. Kronos's expression slowly changed to mirror hers, but with a slightly more evil look in his eyes.

Sometimes the Styx wasn't as effective as everybody thought, if you weren't careful enough.

* * *

_Olympus(3 hours later)_

Kronos sat high and mighty on his gold throne, the only one now occupying the throne room of the gods. He had satisfied smirk on his face. The day was finally coming, he told himself, when his control would become absolute and unopposed. The Golden Age was finally here. He shouted orders left and right, throwing Olympus into a frenzy of preparation for warfare. He knew the war would be short, but that would not make the victory any less sweeter, and he was determined to make it as torturous as possible for the Olympians.

'Krios!' He shouted to his now resurrected fellow titan who stood beside him in a sliver plated armour and with wicked looking spear in his hand.

'Yes, milord?'

'Open the Doors of Death in Tartarus and unleash its monsters.'

Krios took a moment to process what had just been said.

'Tartarus? Are… are you sure, milord?'

Opening Tartarus was something too risky even for Kronos. The monsters would be impossible to control. There would be complete chaos and no one would be there to handle it.

'Did I not just tell you to do so?' Kronos shot back in a deep voice with a hint of steel in it. His golden eyes bored into Krios.

'Of… of course.'

Krios only tilted his head, deciding not to bow. It was best to make it clear he did not approve of Kronos's decision.

Kronos threw back his head and gave a mighty shout of laughter.

'You amuse me, brother. Go now, and do what you need to. The Olympians escaped once, they will not get the chance to do it twice.'

**A/N: That's all for the first chapter and I would really appreciate if you could just tell me what you thought of it till now. I'm free to any ideas and stuff and pairing's probably going to be Pertemis unless a vast majority of you people object or something else. Review!**


	2. Preparations

_Somewhere underneath Rome_

The marble columns and ceilings shook with the tumultuous preparations for the war on Olympus by the Olympians themselves. For the moment, all the torches and lamps burned brightly in the vast underground cavern. Noises of machinery, hammers and a few minor explosions filled the place. There was no time to be lost for their onslaught on Olympus. The Summer solstice had been decided as an appropriate day to attack, and there was no time to be lost.

Percy was busy sharpening his sword skills with Katie Gardner, a daughter of Demeter - an unusual partnership, but an apt one. They had initially been cordial, but distant, each preferring to keep to themselves. But common worries and goals had brought them together - and it also gave them a much needed someone to talk to. Katie had eventually become Percy's closest friend in the last two years, filling a part of the void left in him after Annabeth's death.

'You're improving' Percy commented, parrying a quick jab to his shoulder. They circled each other cautiously.

'Oh, please.' Said Katie, smiling at him with her green eyes, 'I almost beat you the last time.'

'It was your birthday.' He grunted out, barely avoiding the surprise kick aimed at him while he was talking.

'That was low.' He said. His eyes suddenly sharpened, his whole focus shifted to the fight rather than the light bantering between them.

He feinted to the right twice and clashed swords while going to the left. He pushed hard at her and while making sure her attention was focused on defending against his sword, dropped down and swept her legs out from under her. She landed in a heap, an exclamation of surprise escaping her lips. Within seconds, Percy was beside her, his sword at her throat.

'Do you yield?' He asked, a small grin tugging at his lips. _That wasn't too hard, _he thought.

Katie glared at him, 'Yes, now get off me.'

Percy smiled at her good-naturedly and offered her a hand to get up which she gratefully accepted.

Katie had never been much of a sword fighter but after the war, and at Percy insistence, she had been willing to learn. Surprisingly, she turned out to be quite a natural with the blade in her hands. Her movement was flowing and with her quick thinking, she made for a formidable opponent. But even then, she never could quite get to Percy's level of fighting. Percy himself had pushed himself harder than before, practising with Poseidon in any time he could get, which was quite a lot.

'You said you didn't go easy with me on my birthday.' Katie looked at Percy accusingly.

Percy shrugged, 'Yeah, I didn't. I just let you think you could have won.'

Katie huffed in resignation. Trying to reason with Percy like trying to get a Cyclops to spell its own name. Rarely possible and almost never worth the effort.

Percy took off his sweat-drenched shirt and shouted to her that he was going to take a bath. She gave him a thumbs up, trying not look in his direction. Their relationship had always been completely platonic but Katie couldn't help but think _what if_. If at all, that had been the only hint of awkwardness ever between them. Katie had even not-so-subtly hinted to Percy that she was interested, but he was always distracted or thinking about other stuff. _Or somebody else, _Katie thought to herself. She had always assumed it was Annabeth, but now it seemed a bit extreme after so much time had passed.

In fact, it wasn't someone else that distracted Percy, but something. The guilt of so many deaths weighed down on him like a mountain of rocks. He had always assumed it was he who was the hero in the prophecy, but even though it had turned out to be Luke, he couldn't help but think what had gone wrong. It was like fate herself had rejected him, declaring him to be unworthy and hence the cause of Olympus's doom. He knew these thoughts were utter nonsense, but they came and had to be endured.

_Survivor's guilt_, Annabeth would have called it.

He saw Artemis just after his shower. He had just put on his clothes; his hair was still wet. He could have dried it, but he quite liked the feeling.

'Perseus.' Artemis met him as he was entering the arena, 'Poseidon requests your presence at the docks.'

She was in her eighteen year old figure. Her auburn hair hung loose around her shoulders as she looked at Percy with her piercing silver eyes. She wore the usual Hunter's outfit and white leggings accentuated by her lithe figure.  
Her sudden appearance took away Percy's breathe for a moment. He inhaled the scent of the forest, entranced. _She looks stunni- No! _he berated himself mid-thought, _pointless thoughts do not belong here._

'Yes, lady Artemis?' He asked, not quite catching what she said earlier.

'I said Poseidon wants to meet you at the docks.'

'Poseidon - Dad,' He corrected himself, 'wants to see me?'

Artemis looked at him impassively, not willing to repeat herself for the third time. It took a few moments for Percy to regain his bearings.

'Yes, yes of course. That's what you said.' He said, almost to himself. Then, with a bit more composure,

'Is there anything else, my lady?'

'Yes, there is.' She replied with a slightly irritated tone, 'Surely you do not expect me to run around doing what Poseidon asks me to do?'

Percy didn't know what to say to that, since he was half-thinking _sometimes maybe _to himself. But a deep rooted instinct of not wanting to turn into a furry woodland creature prevented him from voicing his thoughts out loud.

Artemis, perhaps sensing his thoughts, hurriedly continued,

'You need not answer. That was simply a rhetorical question. But there is something which father asked me to do.'

'So you listen to Zeus then?' Percy blurted out without thinking, sending his instinct into overdrive, which was now telling him to run and find cover.

Artemis's cheeks grew a pale golden colour with embarrassment and her eyes flashed with anger.

'You're lucky I do not wish for you to die, Perseus.' She said in a soft but dangerous tone, 'Father simply convinced me to do something which I eventually agreed with of my own accord.'

Percy nodded cautiously.

'I wish to help you. You will need my blessing.' She continued.

Percy was taken aback for a moment. It wasn't everyday that Artemis would want to bless a _boy_.

'Oh.' He said somewhat confusedly, and opened his mouth hesitantly before closing it again.

'You want to know why it isn't one of the other gods who will bless you.' Artemis guessed correctly, 'The reason is simple - you are already Poseidon's son and one of the other big three would never agree to bless you. That leaves Demeter and me, and my blessing would be more suited to your needs than hers would be. We can't have you failing to defeat Kronos because of a cold, now can we? My blessing should also hide your scent a bit from monsters and give you a small portion of my powers.'

'Like your hunters.' Percy ventured.

'Yes.' Artemis's jaws tightened. The hunters had been a sore spot for her ever since she had lost so many in the war. Barely a dozen remained.

_'_Like my hunters. But without the oath' She agreed.

Artemis then lightly placed her hand on Percy forearm and muttered a few words. A faint silver glow surrounded Percy and suddenly a plethora of sensations overcame him. The smell of freshly fallen leaves in the forest, the rush of the hunt and an unexplainable _wild _feeling assaulted his senses. And then, just as suddenly, the feeling was gone. A lightheaded sensation overcame him. He slightly swayed on his feet but then suddenly felt Artemis's arm around his shoulders steady him. It was gone in an instant.

'I'm sorry, Perseus. It's just that I'm not used to boys.' She said.

Percy felt that she was more sorry that she hadn't been properly able to achieve exactly what she wanted than because he felt a bit dizzy. But still, it was a nice gesture.

'I'm fine.' Percy said, 'Thanks for... that thing you did. I better go and find dad now .'  
He hesitantly walked in the direction of the docks, still unbalanced, and missed the side of the stone wall by inches in his haste.

The moon goddess simply shook her head, a small smile gracing her lips.

* * *

_The Underworld_

A lone titan treaded slowly through what had been the home of Hades. Once orderly and well managed, it had now been thrown into disarray. Ghosts milled around as they chose, some even escaping the underworld. The place had always been dark and gloomy, but now an aura of evil has ascended over it - uncontrolled and malevolent. Charon had disappeared as soon as Olympus was overthrown, leaving nobody to ferry across the dead. Krios noticed Cerebrus, the three headed hound of Hades, toss up five ghosts at once and snap them up in his jaws.

_Well, at least someone's enjoying themselves, _he thought wryly.

He walked cautiously past the guard dog, trying not to draw attention to himself. It was kind of hard considering that all the ghosts were giving him a wide berth. They parted in front of him as he walked, somehow repelled by the faint light of his armour. Krios had just walked a few steps more when he felt something approaching from behind.

His sword came out in a swinging ark as he turned and slashed at what should have, and in fact was there a few moments ago.

A light chuckle came from behind him. He turned around once again, ready to strike.

'Grandfather.' The woman in front of him greeted him, her light green eyes shining palely through the glow of the greek fire from the two torches held in her hands. She was dressed in dark robes and her black hair cascaded down her back.

'It's you, is it?' Krios said as if he wasn't surprised at all by her appearance. He surreptitiously took up a casual battle stance, ready to attack at a moment's provocation.

'Yes, it's me.' Hecate said, 'I come in peace.' She looked at Krios thoughtfully for a moment and raised her eyebrow, 'That's what you want too, don't you grandfather?'

Krios growled, 'I don't know what you're talking about. Always up to your tricks, you. I never did like them.'

'I'm _not_ up to any tricks this time.' Her eyes narrowed and she defiantly threw her torches down near Krios's feet, where they slowly extinguished themselves. To most, it would have been a sign of good faith and sincerity. But to Krios, it was a sign of weakness.

_You left yourself unguarded - that was foolish, _he thought distastefully.

He slowly advanced towards Hecate, fully prepared to exploit his advantage. He had a strong distrust towards the goddess, despite anything what Kronos might say to the contrary. She had been a slippery one for millennia and nothing was ever going to change that. Long ago, he had strongly advised Perses, his son and Hecate's father to imprison her before she grew too powerful. But it seemed that Hecate had got to him before he had.  
And now he was fully determined to correct that mistake.

'Well, if you must know, releasing the monsters of Tartarus is not something I would prefer to do.' He started, 'Call that wanting peace, if you must. But my loyalties lie with Kronos.'

As soon he finished speaking he was onto Hecate with a leap, only to see his sword pass harmlessly through her body. It suddenly vanished into millions of colourful tiny particles. A sudden instinct made him look to his right.

Hecate stood there with a mirthless smile, holding her torches aloft, which shone with a brighter blaze than ever.

'You deceitful goddess!' Krios bellowed with rage at having fallen for her act, 'I knew you were up to something!'

'Yes, indeed.' Hecate said flatly, 'But now I'm curious. Why did you attack me? I thought we were on the same side.'

The enraged titan did not deign to reply. He charged towards Hecate but suddenly found himself running into a wall. He stopped dead in his tracks.

Hecate was behind him once again,

'Goddess of magic, at your service.' Hecate gave the titan a mock bow, 'Accept it, Krios. You can never defeat me in the underworld.'

The titan of stars and constellations wearily pointed his sword at her again. He knew she was upto something. Sweat dripped from his brow from the harsh atmosphere of the underworld. The sky was far away.

But despite that, something felt wrong. He suddenly became aware of a slight tugging sensation at his heels. He would recognise that feeling anywhere. A slight chill crept up his spine as he realised that by some trick of fate they had come right to the edge of where Tartarus was located in the underworld. But for the first time, he felt he had the upper hand.

_I know something you don't, dear goddess._

'Well?' Demanded Hecate arrogantly, 'What do you have against me?'

The Titan quickly looked around and calculated exactly where he was near Tartarus and shuffled a bit to the right.

_Perfect, _he thought to himself.

Outwardly Krios grinned at the goddess evilly, took a cautious step backwards, slipped on a loose rock and let himself fall into Tartarus.

**A/N: Thanks for the response everybody. Here's a (literal) cliffhanger for your(*my) enjoyment. I've more or less decided on Pertemis for now, as mentioned earlier.  
A review is always helpful. Next chapter will probably be up in a week. That's all for now.  
**


	3. A Favour

The docks were situated at one end of their hideout where the underground passages opened up into a huge cavern with an almost imperceptible ceiling high above the ground. The sea came inside into a deep sheltered cove. A huge ship underwent construction in the very centre of the place. Cyclops milled around, busy at work with the sound of hammers, the ting on anvils and the crackling of the huge fires all around them. Poseidon stood a bit way back from the tumult of the proceedings and looked all around with a brooding look on his face.

His serious face brightened as Percy approached.

'What's the matter, dad?' Percy asked brightly, rejuvenated as usual by being near the sea god. It was almost as if he could feel the sea spray on his face.

'Nothing much. It's been a long time since we talked. The seas are restless today inspite of the clear skies.' Poseidon said with a slight edge to his normal carefree manner. He looked as if his age of a several thousand years had finally caught up to him.

Percy completely missed the point.

'Well,' the demigod offered, 'I suppose the weather _is_ quite ni-'

'No.' The sea deity looked troubled for a moment. He took a deep breathe and was about to continue before Percy cut him off indignantly, taking the answer literally.

'What?' A confused look crossed his face, 'But the sun's out after so many d- ' Perseus caught himself mid speech as if suddenly realising something, and furrowed his eyebrows for a moment.

'Well, I suppose you _could_ say it makes no difference since we're underground-' Percy went on arguing with himself for a while before catching the slightly irritated look on his father's face.

'Percy, I would love to discuss the weather with you sometime, but just not now.' Poseidon spoke in a serious tone but the twinkle in his eyes did nothing to hide his mirth at Percy's momentary cluelessness.

'I need you to do something for me.' Poseidon said solemnly, arranging his features to give the impression that he was imparting a very important task, which he was, of course.

'Of course you do.' Percy sighed. _Why else would you call me?_ 'What is it?'

'I need you to steal Hecate symbol of power for me. I suspect she has been giving information to Kronos and the only way to find out is if I-'.

'Okay.' Percy said simply, 'I'll do it.'

Poseidon looked astonished.

'Are… are you sure, Perseus? Not even my most devoted followers would do something for me without asking for something in return.'

'It's no biggie.' Percy shrugged, 'I'll do it for free.'

'No biggie?' Poseidon felt utter awe and even slightly insulted. 'You call the favour from a god _no biggie_? Why, I remember my last son asking me for a whole kingdom plated in gold, which I obviously denied and then had it plated in silver instead. Much more classier, if you ask me.'

Poseidon looked thoughtfully at Percy.

'Well, I suppose I could do gold, just this once, for you. You would be risking your life after all.'

Percy waved his hand dismissively, 'Happens all the time when you're a demigod. No reward necessary. Also, I can't really think of something to ask for right now.'

'You can take your time.' Poseidon said magnanimously, 'Just get me Hecate's candlesticks.'

He promptly vanished into a fresh breeze of salty sea air.

Percy looked at where he had been standing. He had a thoughtful expression on his face at the sea god's abrupt departure.

_Must have upset him somehow. He normally says goodbye. Oh, well… Gods are weird._

* * *

Katie met him just as he was about to enter his room. Her hair had been made into a ponytail and she was wearing her favourite yellow tank top and jeans. Her leaf green eyes shone with mirth.

'You talked to Artemis, didn't you?' She said, poking him in his chest.

Percy frowned, 'Yeah. Why?'

'No reason. She was muttering about stupid boys and waste of energy underneath her breath.'

Percy stepped his room and sat with a thump on his bed. 'So she said stupid boy and the first person you thought of was me? Hades, she thinks _all_ boys are stupid.' He grinned at her.

Katie shrugged, 'Yeah, that and it's also pretty clear that she gave you her blessing. You smell of pine and dried leaves and rainy days and-'

Percy made a timeout gesture, inwardly smiling at Katie's enthusiasm, 'Wait. I get it.' He smelled his arm and wrinkled his nose a bit, 'How do you smell all that?'

'Just sensitive to nature I guess. Daughter of Demeter over here.'

Percy looked faintly impressed and absent mindedly took out Riptide, rubbing his fingers over its edge. The both of them just sat there in silence for a while, enjoying each others company. Katie looked around at Percy's room in interest. It was the never the same whenever she visited. It was a complete mess and a couple of shirts hanging on top of what she supposed was a wall clock made her smile a bit. Percy became restless after a while. His ADHD was starting to kick in when Poseidon's words came into mind.

He suddenly jumped off his bed and looked at Katie, 'You want to do something exciting?' He asked.

'Yeah, sure. What?' Katie looked at him curiously.

The excited boy pulled her off his bed and dragged Katie along with him through the door.

'Got some candles that need stealing. You in?'

A raised eyebrow, 'Why not?'

* * *

Hecate's room/hideout was situated in the far end of the underground palace they lived in. Torches flickered on the walls of the marble corridor that led to her private sanctuary. It gave off an eerie feeling to all who traversed it, though that might have jus been caused due to Hecate's magic. The duo walked steadily towards the door, knowing that Hecate had gone out doing some 'errand' for the gods.

Katie looked at Percy pointedly, 'I still don't understand why you think Hecate would keep her symbol of power inside her _room _of all places. I don't think this place has proper security'.

Percy smiled confidently, 'Where else would she keep her important stuff? I mean, I keep all my important stuff inside my room.'

'Except Riptide.' Katie pointed out.

Percy frowned, 'Riptide's a weapon. You don't leave your room without your weapon. That's like in the first page of all demigod know-how handbooks.'

Katie looked at him curiously, 'They have demigod know-how handbooks?' Noticing Percy's eager look she hurriedly continued, 'Forget I asked. Anyway, those candlesticks are like Hecate's mojo, aren't they? You don't figure she might... you know, _keep_ _it on her person_ maybe?'

The Son of Poseidon simply gestured at Hecate's door, 'We need to get this door open.'

_(Half an hour later)_

'No proper security, huh?' Percy groaned after what seemed like his thousandth slash/jab/hit/stab at the imposing wooden door in front of him. The entire power of the sea and earth-shaker seemed to do little harm to the infuriating thing.

Katie examined her fingernails casually a little way behind him, 'You could just ask for my help, you know? I thought this was supposed to be exciting.'

'You can help?' Percy looked at her skeptically.

Katie indignantly nudged his shoulder to make room for her in front of the door. 'Watch and learn.'

She closed her eyes in deep concentration for the upcoming task. She had noticed a few vines growing near the top of the door and an idea had formed in her head on how to open the door. The vines slowly trembled before Percy before they seemed to vanish behind the door. A few seconds later the door itself began to shake vigorously and with a mighty _creeeak_ _folded_ on itself before crashing down inside onto the floor with a huge bang. Katie opened her eyes and struggled a bit to remain on her feet, eventually leaning onto Percy for support.

He was looking at her with wide eyes, 'How?' Was the only the word which came out of his mouth. He had been convinced the door was beyond any power to open.  
Katie smiled weakly, 'You...' A short gasp, 'You weren't able to open it because the door was... it was living. Living things... much harder to break down except if-' She paused a second to regain her breathe, 'I can control plants but Hecate's magic was... strong.' She fell silent. The effort had evidently taken a lot out of her. Percy fumbled in his pocket before taking out a small piece of Ambrosia and giving it to her. She mumbled a small 'Thanks' as she put it into her mouth.

The colour slowly returned to her cheeks. 'I needed that.' She sighed. 'So, shall we?' She gestured towards the entrance which opened into complete and utter darkness. Percy followed her as they entered cautiously. The light turned on as soon as they stepped inside. The pair of demigods had to shield their eyes as they got used to the sudden bright light. They looked around in interest. The 'room' was actually a huge hall with an imperceptibly high ceiling. The walls were made of some obsidian black stone and the floor was of white marble. It smelt old and forbidden, as if it was hiding many secrets from their innocent mortal eyes.

But that wasn't what caught the attention of the half-bloods as they entered the hall. What caught their attention most insistently without leaving them with any time to marvel at the surroundings was the goddess bleeding ichor right in the centre of the hall. It was Hecate. The folds of her dress were stained with ichor and she was clearly in great pain. Her dress was torn in several places and her regal stature had been replaced with an almost pleading look.  
'Demigods!' She said in a low voice, 'Hurry.'

Percy instantly scrambled to the goddess's side with Katie close at his heels.  
'What happened?' He asked her, now gaining a clear looked at her face which was marred with cuts.

'That bastard Krios.' Hecate growled, 'He tricked me. _Me_, the goddess of trickery.' She winced at the pain of making such a proclamation.

'_You_.' She pointed at Percy, 'Get me some Ambrosia or Nectar. _Now_.'

Percy didn't like being spoken to in such a fashion but brought out the block of Ambrosia out of his pocket nonetheless. He was about to give it to Hecate when he felt Katie's arm on his hand.

'Wait.' Said Katie. 'Why were you talking to Krios? Aren't you on the gods' side?' She looked at Hecate fiercely.

'_I spy for the gods, you fool_!' Hecate eyes shown with fire, literally. 'Now _give_ me the Ambrosia.'

Percy glanced at Katie for a second before giving the godly food to the goddess of magic and trickery. Katie didn't stop him.

The demigods averted their eyes as Hecate flashed brightly with power and when the looked back, Hecate was as beautiful and completely uninjured as usual. Her porcelain white skin gave off a faint purple light. She looked at the demigods and was about to flash away before Katie spoke up,

'Don't go just yet. We saved you. You owe us some answers.' Her voice was assertive.

'I owe you nothing, demigod.' Hecate's purple eyes seemed to burn into Katie's soul.

'Yes you do.' Percy interjected, 'We did you a favour. We saved you from dying... or rather reforming hundreds of years later by when Kronos would have already taken over the world and we might all be dead. We didn't have to save you, but we did.'

'It takes hard work from your side for a goddess to owe you anything. Taking a piece of Ambrosia out of your pocket is not hard work.'

'No.' Said Katie, 'But opening the door to this place is.'

'You think you would have been able to open the door without my help, daughter of Demeter? I only allowed you to come inside so that you could assist me. In fact, it's your fault I flashed in here instead of the gods meeting room since I felt someone trying to break in. I thought it was that fool Poseidon again, but it was only a couple of you useless demigods.'

'You thought you could stop dad from entering when you weren't even able to open your own door properly by yourself? That's a pretty poor lie from the supposed goddess of trickery.' Percy looked at her skeptically.

Hecate could feel her pulse quickening in anger at the audacity of the demigod, 'I am _not_ lying, mortal. I simply failed to take my earlier condition into account.'

Percy yawned at her face.

Katie hurriedly spoke out of a sudden overwhelming desire to save her _idiotic_ friend from being turned into puddle of seawater.

'We believe you, my goddess. But please, you yourself just mentioned that we assisted you.'

The fire in Hecate's eyes lessened and she pondered the matter for a while,

'Very well. What would you ask of me?' She said, but it was clear she wasn't about to take any unreasonable requests from them.

Percy was about to speak but Katie shot a clear look at him that said - _let me handle this_.

'O benevolent goddess, I only want to know why you were bleeding.' Katie said solemnly.

Hecate lips curled up a little in amusement. 'You'll get to know the reason soon, from the gods. So if that's all, I should be-'

'No.' Percy interrupted her, 'I want something else.'

Hecate narrowed her eyes and strode towards Perseus until their noses were almost touching. Percy could smell her lavender perfume.

'Is that so?' She spoke in a low and almost challenging tone.

Percy did not back away from but stared back at her stoically. He could see Katie's pleading look out of the corner of his eye, but ignored it.

'I want your candlesticks.' He said.

Hecate seemed surprised for a moment before bursting into such a bout of laughter that would have embarrassed even Apollo. It was a soft lilting laugh which echoed throughout the vast cavern.

'_Such_ _cheek_! _Never in my long years have I ever.._.' Hecate burst into laughter again. Percy and Katie stood awkwardly beside the goddess who had now quite clearly gone completely barmy.

'I should blast you into pieces for suggesting such a thing, you know.' The goddess addressed Percy after a while, regaining her composure. 'But unfortunately, Olympus needs you alive right now. A symbol of power contains the very essence of an immortal. Taking it is like kidnapping the immortal herself... or himself. You think I would just give it to you?' Her cheeks were still a bit coloured as she looked at Percy.

Percy shrugged, 'It was worth a try.'

'Listen,' Said Hecate, 'I know Poseidon is suspicious.' She summoned a small earthen bowl and her candlesticks. She let some of the wax drip from the candlestick into the bowl and offered the bowl to Percy.

'Give this to Poseidon.' She said, 'He will understand what he needs to, from this.'

Percy looked at her suspiciously but took the bowl nonetheless.

'Thank you, I guess.' He said.

Hecate gave him a small smile and suddenly flashed away without any warning. The demigods closed their eyes. When they opened their eyelids, they were once again outside the wooden door which had troubled them so long ago. But this time a small note was stuck on it. It was written in ancient greek so Percy and Katie didn't have any problem in reading it. The lavender scented note was addressed to Perseus.

_Come visit me sometime in this place when you're bored. I haven't laughed so much in centuries. You deserve something special for this. Knock thrice and I shall know you are there._

_Love,_

_Hecate_

Percy grimaced in disgust, made a paper ball out the note and threw it as far away as he could. He then kicked the door, his irritation still not subsided.

'Stupid goddess.'

Katie laughed in crystal clear plain unadulterated amusement.

**A/N: So Hecate's creepy crackjack. This chapter was like a filler of sorts. The action starts from the next chapter. Hope you folks are liking this. Any comments are appreciated. Oh, and Happy new year everybody!**


	4. The Entities

The meeting did _not _go as expected. It was a war council. There were seven of them - Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, Artemis, Hestia, Hecate and Percy, who insisted on being there since he would be the one risking his life. Hecate had left two chairs from the nearest God, Hades, sitting around the stone table. The animosity was evident, as was the mistrust. But Hecate was instrumental to their plans, whether they liked it or not.

The meeting did _not_ go as expected.

For one thing, Hecate refused to be specific. All she said was that she fought with Krios outside the entrance of Tartarus in the underworld, and lost. She would not specify how she lost or why she didn't flash away earlier. She _did_ say that the monsters of Tartarus were being freed, which put a huge wrench into their plans.

'We cannot delay our attack.' Pronounced Poseidon immediately, the de facto leader of their little group now that Zeus was gone. He was an imposing presence as he stood up with the trident in his hand and gazed at each one of them with his sea-green eyes.

One by one all of the others agreed, including Perseus. Poseidon was bemused at Percy's excitement at voting with them, not that it would have made any difference. The decision was passed unanimously.

'How much time do we have?' The sea god asked.

'Two days.' Came Hecate's reply. After two days, the monsters would be unleashed and there would a war with no victor. Kronos seemed not to care for it as long as the Olympians lost.

There was silence for a while as all the gods were deep in thought, trying to come up with a solution. Percy tried, but gave into playing tic-tac-toe with himself, trying his best to avoid detection. He saw Artemis give him a wry smile, to which he simply shrugged.

It was Hades who spoke first, 'I think there is only one option. The Entitites.'

'The Entities?' Poseidon sounded confused. Hades gave him a meaningful look. 'Oh, the _Entities_.' Poseidon exclaimed.

'Surely not.' Artemis cut in, 'It is too risky. Even with Typhon, we did not-'

Hades cut across arrogantly, 'The old fool Zeus forbade us. If you didn't notice, he's dead. This is our only hope.'

'I agree.' Poseidon was almost reluctant in saying that, 'But it is dangerous, I agree with Artemis.'

Demeter gave one of her rare opinions, '_Too_ dangerous.' She put in succinctly.

'But unavoidable.' Hades insisted. He suddenly looked towards Perseus, 'The boy must leave. Now.' He said, leaving no room for argument.

'Wait what?!' Percy protested, looking around for people on his side. He hadn't even got a chance to tell them about Hecate yet! And her note, especially the note which magically kept reappearing in his pocket whenever he threw it away. But no one told him to stay, not even Poseidon. He glared at Hecate as he walked away, when an idea came into his mind. He surreptitiously took out the note and passed it to Demeter, eliciting a small '_Oooh'_ from the goddess. Percy slowly walked out through the marble columns, wondering what the Hades the _Entities_ was, or were.

* * *

The huge warship majestically floated just inside a crack in the cliffs. Poseidon walked over the water inspecting the ship before it left for the voyage it had been built for. The ship was truly one fit for the gods. It was built from finely polished wood and decorated with the symbols of the gods all around its hull. Gold and celestial bronze linings made intricate designs on the side of the ship. It was the only way the gods could transport all their troops without flashing to Olympus, which would just deplete their energy for the upcoming battle.

The imperious mast and sail glared fiercely at all those around it, daring them to challenge the might of the warship. It had one enormous sail and several other smaller ones arranged in a symmetrical pattern. Percy and Katie walked up the gangplank, nudging each playfully while sharing some private joke. The gods had congregated on the deck and their army consisting of cyclops, satyrs and a few vengeful nature spirits were already below decks.

'Brother Hades,' Said Poseidon, 'It is time for us to leave.'

'It is.' Replied the god of the underworld. He nodded towards Artemis, 'Niece, if you would do the honours.' He gestured towards the moorings which held the ship from being swept away into the sea.

Artemis gracefully leapt past a few crates and posts and took the mooring chain in her hand. A sorrowful look was on her face as she gazed at the shore, just a few feet beside the water.

Hestia stood there with a warm smile on her face.

'Must you stay?' Asked Artemis, even though she knew the answer.

'I must, for now.' Her eyes were as comforting as the warm crackle of a fireplace, 'Someone has to take care of this place.' She said. _If you lose, _were the words better left unspoken.

Artemis nodded once... twice, turned around and never looked back. It was a shame that Hestia had chosen not to come along. But it was probably for the best, Artemis thought. Fighting did not suit Hestia's kind nature.

The ship cast off with a mighty grunt of the sails and creaking of the wooden posts. Soon fresh, salty sea air assaulted Percy's senses as he inhaled deeply standing on the deck. Somehow, he felt as if he were right at home. This was where he truly belonged, in the midst of the ocean with the breeze on his face and the assuring hum of machinery under his feet. Poseidon stood next to him with an identical grin on his face. Even after thousands of years, the sea never ceased to delight him and amaze him with its beauty.

But a sudden thought of the approaching war between them and Kronos sobered his face a bit. There would be many lives lost and many debts paid. If only Percy was successful in his mission then all of their waiting and hard work would be worth it.  
_If only..._

Percy stole a glance at his father's face, expecting to see the same kind of happiness he was experiencing. He couldn't have been more wrong. Poseidon face was stormy and brooding, even marred by a few wrinkles. Percy looked down in indecision when he felt somebody side up next to him. A smile came once more onto his face as he pulled her hair back and put an arm around her shoulders.

'Katie...' He said in a slightly reprimanding tone, 'You were supposed to be sleeping right now, remember? You haven't recovered fully from last night's excursion to Hecate's place.'

But Percy smiled at her fondly, glad of her company. She had played a huge part in getting him out of his post-war grief. Before Katie, he had been inconsolable and refused to even look at anyone in the eye. But her persistence had finally won through and Percy would never forgot all that she had done for him. He had come to love her like the little sister he had never had.

Katie sighed wistfully, 'I can't sleep during the day.' _Or the night, _she added in her mind.

Percy knew exactly what she had meant by what she said, and what she left unsaid. Everything would depend on the upcoming war between the gods and the titans... and the demigods. It was almost impossible to get any proper rest without recurring nightmares or worries.

'I know.' He said simply as she put a soft head on his shoulder. Percy kissed her head comfortingly as he gazed into the distance. The sky was darkening as twilight fast approached. A few stars were barely visible, tiny pinpricks of light hanging like ornaments in the sky . Everything descended into complete darkness just as they passed the Pillars of Hercules. Hercules quite predictably wasn't there as he had sided with Kronos being the power hungry god he was. Zeus would be proud.

Suddenly Hades's voice broke the calm silence of the ship and softly lapping waves.

'Are you prepared, Poseidon?' His voice boomed throughout the aft of the ship, unsettling its occupants.

'As much I will ever be!' Poseidon's voice boomed back.

Percy frowned in confusion. _Prepared for what? Now especially, of all times?_

The reason soon became clear as he felt the waves quicken under the ship. The ship suddenly lurched forward before taking off at an almost inhumanly fast pace over the waters. It seemed to draw its power from the dark waters and the wind blew around making it the eye of its very own personal hurricane. Poseidon and Hades were deep in concentration and glowing with power.

Percy had almost reached Poseidon to ask him what was going on when he felt a sudden pull at the back of his shirt and found himself lying on the floor within seconds.

Artemis looked at him with steely sliver crescents, 'Don't disturb him.' She said sternly and let him get up by himself.

'Why?' Percy called at the retreating goddess. She didn't even twitch. Percy felt incensed. Why should he be pushed around liked that? That too without any explanation. He looked around for Katie for some moral support but she wasn't anywhere in sight. _Fine, _he thought, _I'll have to do this myself._

Percy walked purposefully towards the sea god, keeping a sharp lookout for any interfering immortals. He closely monitered his back. But this time Artemis dropped down from a nearby sail right in front of him.

'I said _no_, boy. Your kind sorely need to understand the meaning of this word. I thought you might be different, but it seems I was wrong.' She stood in a faux-casual stance, ready for any surprises Percy might spring at her. But to her surprise, he did nothing of that sort.

'Fine.' He said, 'You tell me what's going on.'

'You can see what's going on yourself. We need to reach Olympus in two days and beat Kronos, this is the only way we can do it.' Artemis almost hissed the last few words. Her irritation was clearly visible. Percy looked a bit lost.

'Two days. Why?'

Artemis rolled her eyes. _Chaos, I can't deal with this right now. This whole conversation is pointless._

'I am not here to answer your stupid questions, _boy. _Figure it out yourself.' She looked at Perseus with a challenging face. Exactly how far would he be willing to test the patience of a goddess famed for turning men into hunter friendly animal species. She evidently didn't know the demigod very well. But before Percy could answer back Poseidon opened his eyes, looking directly at Artemis.

'Oh, hello Artemis. You look quite the ravishing young goddess.' The tone was almost lecherous and undeniably foreign coming from the sea god. Percy could feel the wrongness in his bones. This could _not_ be Poseidon talking to his niece this way.

It was Poseidon's mouth from where the words came, but it was quite evidently not him. The voice was deeper, more ancient and reverberated with power. His eyes were a deeper, darker blue. They glowed, illuminating the entire deck in its light. The ship vibrated slightly.

'Pontus...' The words rolled distastefully off Artemis's tongue. 'We had an accord. You should not be here.' Two silver hunting knives seemingly appeared out of nowhere in her hands and she crouched in battle ready position in front of the primordial.

Pontus grinned, 'You gods called me here. You invoked my power. I have every right to be here.'

'Not while possessing Poseidon.' Artemis hissed, 'You were only supposed to quicken our travel and help defeat Kronos in exchange for gaining control of a third the oceans on this planet. You swore on the Styx.'

'The Styx cannot harm Poseidon.' He spread his arms wide, a huge wave of water rose behind him dramatically, 'Behold, I _am_ Poseidon.' He paused a moment for effect, awaiting an applause which never came.

'Oh, well.' Pontus dropped down his hands, 'Did you really think I would be satisfied with only a third of the world's oceans?'

Artemis swore under her breathe. _This was not how things were supposed to happen._ Her muscles clenched in anxiety. She looked around for Hades, the only god who even had a chance of being able to help her.

To her shock, even Hades seemed to be in a familiar predicament. His eyes radiated darkness, a darkness so ancient that even Pontus himself seemed to be insignificant in comparison. Light seemed to sucked from every step he trod, as he slowly approached them. He wore a suit and shades, both of which were pure black.

'Is that you Pontus? It seems that I am not the only one.' The being possessing Hades intoned. Their eyes met, deep blue against the deepest black. The atmosphere seemed to crackle with their power.

'Indeed, Erebus. I would have thought you would not be interested in petty dealings here on Earth.' Pontus stood tall, but an imperceptible fear crept into his heart. This being in front of him was stronger than him, and they both knew it. The question was, what did he want?

'My dealings are none of your concern. I would suggest you leave Poseidon immediately, and do as was asked of you and no more. Do not disturb me.'

Pontus laughed, 'Would you do the same for Hades? I have no reason to listen to you.'

Erebus smiled darkly, 'I do not wish to force you, Pontus. Do as I command.'

'You cannot force me to do anything. Your powers are limited in this form on Earth. You think you can best me?' Pontus challenged, a wall of water already rising behind him. What he said about Erebus's powers being limited was a complete shot in the dark, but Erebus's momentary loss of composure confirmed his suspicions. Pontus licked his lip in anticipation, almost tasting victory. He had already scented blood.

Erebus was instantly back to his ice cold demeanour, 'Yes, I know I can.' A click of his fingers prompted the wall of water behind Pontus to fall down instantly. The ship rocked dangerously but managed to remain steady.

Artemis watched on with growing fear and desperation. _Fuck, fuck,_ _fuck_. _This ship __would never be able to withstand a fight between these two entities. _They would never be able to even reach Olympus to fight Kronos, let alone defeat him.

Percy stood beside her with wide eyes. The power that was coming off these two was beyond his imagination. He felt truly powerless and weak compared to these two. The growing tension between them was almost fascinating, and frightening. Percy looked at Artemis's completely neutral face, devoid of any emotions. But the beautiful facade could crack any second, and they both knew it. The situation in front of them was now completely out of their hands. Powers beyond perception were at play here, and they were only silent onlookers.

Just when it seemed that all hell would break loose, Hecate flashed in with three earthen jars in her hands. There was a sudden flash of a mixture of purple, blue and black light and Percy felt himself slipping into oblivion.

**A/N: I'm not sure about the correctness of the relative power level of the primordials, but that's how I'm going to write it.  
****A few reviews would be nice, might speed up the update speed. Next chapter: Olympus(or not?)**

**Edit: I corrected the name, thanks for the comments.**


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